Spinnakers’ Landing expects banner season

SUMMERSIDE — One of the city’s most recognizable landmarks is getting a facelift and an infusion of new business blood.

Summerside Capital Corporation, which is under contract to manage Spinnakers’ Landing, is gearing up for a busy summer on the Summerside waterfront, with new tenants, renovations and a renewed sense of purpose for the attraction.

Michelle Askew, director of sales and marketing for the company, has been on the front lines of this work and she has an almost infectious optimism about the upcoming tourist season.

“The goal here is to have people use the waterfront, to be downtown, to see a lot of things happening and to want to be there,” said Askew.

“We don’t want to see empty buildings; we want it to be a busy marketplace with lots of people and lots to celebrate,” she added.

To that end, crews will soon start renovations and repairs to the structure to freshen up its look.

Roofs will be replaced, paint will be touched up and the landscaping will be refreshed.

The landing’s boardwalk is also being extended, allowing for the stand-alone huts along one side of the lagoon to be moved forward.

That move is being prompted by another project Summerside Capital Corporation is working on — building a 40-unit condo development on the small parcel of land between Eptek Cultural Centre and Spinnakers’ Landing.

The condo development, assuming it gets a green light to move ahead, will be built adjacent to Spinnakers’ Landing, which will continue to operate as per normal.

The retailers are planning for a June 13 opening, said Askew, which will kick off with a big Atlanticade rally with entertainment that evening.

In fact, anyone looking for entertainment can look no further than Spinnakers’ this summer, she said.

They plan on having a daily slate of entertainers, demonstrators and artists to help draw people in.

Anytime a visitor asks where they should go in Summerside to see something interesting, Askew wants the answer to be “Spinnakers’.”

“That’s the goal for the season, to maintain that concept. There’s always something happening at Spinnakers’,” she said.